Simple Daily Habits for Facebook Success for Veterinarians

For the modern veterinary practice, social media avenues like Facebook have become more than just an option – they’ve become a necessity for engaging with clients and increasing visibility of the practice. Yet many busy vets find it challenging to find the time to devote to their online presence. The good news is managing your practice’s veterinary Facebook page doesn’t have to be overwhelming. In fact, when it’s broken down into the following simple daily tasks, it’s more than manageable, and the results will be well worth the effort.

Be a Problem Solver

When you think about it, in your day to day work, you’re already solving problems on a regular basis. You can capitalize on this by also positioning yourself as a problem solver on your veterinary Facebook page. Learn what your clients and prospects want to hear, what questions they have, and what their pain points are and then provide them with content that addresses these things. When your audience finds your content useful, they’ll be much more likely to share it with their own networks, thereby increasing your practice’s visibility. What’s more, when you actively engage with your followers by answering questions and participating in discussions, they’ll naturally begin to see you as the go-to resource for all of their veterinary needs.

Interact on a Daily Basis

Social media is a fluid medium, so in order to be successful at it you must be committed to being active on a daily basis. Otherwise your audience may lose interest and your growth will slow. Just as your blog articles can be planned and scheduled in advance, so can your veterinary Facebook activity. Aim for your posts to publish at the key times of 7am, 5pm and 11pm, when research has shown that people are most active. In between, you, or someone from your practice whom you have designated, should also be interacting with the followers and commenting on and liking other pages. An editorial calendar can be used to easily and efficiently plan and schedule this activity.

Pay Attention

It’s not so much what your activity is on your veterinary Facebook page as much as it’s how that activity is doing. Understanding what content is getting the best results can help you to develop future content that will grow your audience and keep your existing followers coming back for more. Check out the insights on your Facebook page to keep an eye on things like:

Total number of fans

Number of new fans

Growth from prior week

Number of unlikes

Number of weekly actives

Growth in actives from prior week

You don’t have to be an expert analyst to do this – you just have to get a regular idea of how your veterinary Facebook page is performing so you can plan accordingly for future activity. The goal is to see consistent improvement on a week by week basis.

Make Changes Where Necessary

If something you were doing in your day to day veterinary practice wasn’t working, you’d probably change it, right? Well, the way you approach your veterinary Facebook page should be no different. When you’re analyzing the results, take a look at what is driving those results. If you see a spike in active fan engagement, figure out what it is that caused that spike and try to duplicate it. Likewise, if you notice a drop in activity, examine what may have been the reason and make the appropriate changes to avoid the same from happening in the future.

Spread the Love

Remember, just as you want people to share your content, other business pages are seeking the same outcome. By connecting with other pet related businesses in your area you are further establishing your own professional credibility, and by liking, commenting on and sharing their content you are developing solid relationships within your community, both online and offline. If you come across an interesting article or other resource on one of these other pages that you feel might be helpful to your audience, share it with them! In doing so you will establish trust and create value on both sides.

Managing your veterinary Facebook page doesn’t have to be a chore. By implementing these simple daily practices, you will be able to maximize your veterinary social media efforts in the most efficient way possible, and your practice will grow as a result.